US FDA May Ban Online E-Cigarette Sales to Protect Minors

According to U.S. media reports on September 25, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the agency is considering whether to ban online sales of vaping devices. The FDA has ordered five major e-cigarette brands to submit plans within 60 days showing how they will prevent minors from using their products.

A few weeks earlier, Gottlieb described youth e-cigarette use as an “epidemic” and announced a tough crackdown.
 

Speaking at an e-cigarette discussion hosted by Axios in Washington, Gottlieb said: “The issue is right in front of us, and the FDA is taking it very seriously.”

Although the FDA believes e-cigarettes are a less harmful alternative for adults who cannot quit smoking successfully or do not want to quit, Gottlieb said that the lower risk of e-cigarettes cannot come at the cost of getting young people addicted to nicotine, especially given the sharp rise in youth use.
 

Because the report had not yet been formally released, an unnamed insider said the CDC’s preliminary annual youth tobacco survey showed that the number of high school students using e-cigarettes each month had surged 75% over the past year.

Earlier this month, the FDA required five major e-cigarette brands—Juul, Vuse (a British American Tobacco brand), MarkTen (an Altria brand), Blu E-cigs (an Imperial Tobacco brand), and Logic (a Japan Tobacco brand)—to submit detailed plans within 60 days to stop minors from using their products. Gottlieb also warned that all flavored e-cigarettes could be removed from shelves, and manufacturers might even be required to submit these products to the FDA for review.